Bude fire crews tackle shed and bonfire blazes in 24 hours

If you have a bonfire smouldering at the bottom of the garden this week, take a proper look at the ground around it before you turn your back on it. Cornwall has had little rain for weeks, and Bude Community Fire Station has just had two callouts in under 24 hours that show what dry grass and a stray ember can do.

A shed, a hedge and a decking on Tuesday night

On the night of 5 August, at 22:43, one pump from Bude was mobilised to a reported “fire in the open”. Station fire control rang through soon after to say multiple calls had come in about the same incident, so a second pump was sent straight away. When crews arrived they were met by a shed well alight, with the fire already spread to a nearby hedge.

Two hose reel jets were quickly put to work before crews switched to a main jet for more water, and the second pump arrived to support the incident. Stopping the fire in the hedge from spreading is what helped the crews get on top of the shed and a decking. Once the fire was out, the area was dampened down for any hot spots and crews were back at the station by 00:30.

📷Credit: Bude Community Fire Station

A bonfire that ran into the field

Barely 14 hours later they were out again. At 14:55 on 6 August, a single pump was sent to reports of a fire seen in the distance. On arrival, crews found a bonfire that had been lit close to a hedge, and in the dry weather it was spreading fast into the field.

With a lack of water on scene, a second pump was requested, and using two hose reel jets the crews got the fire under control. The hedge and the bonfire were then dampened down to make sure nothing ignited again. Crews returned to the station at 17:10 to fill up with water and be ready to respond again. The scorched strip of field edge in these photos is how far that one bonfire spread.

Why the ground is doing so much of the work right now

Both shouts carry the same message from the crew. The hot weather and continued dry conditions are turning grass, hedges and field edges into ample fuel, so a fire that would normally stay small can run a long way before anyone gets to it.

For anyone planning a bonfire, that means keeping it well clear of hedges, fences and boundaries, having water to hand before it is lit, and never walking away while it is still smouldering. Two crews, four pumps and a night that ran past midnight, all from fires that started small in a fortnight without rain.

📷Credit: Bude Community Fire Station